TI's BRF6100 Offers Wireless Handset Designers First Sub-$4 Total Bluetooth
Solution
DALLAS, June 5 /PRNewswire-FirstCall/ -- Marking a major step forward to
bring Bluetooth functionality to cellular phones and consumer devices, Texas
Instruments (NYSE: TXN) (TI) announced today the BRF6100, the first single-
chip Bluetooth(TM) solution to integrate a digital Radio Frequency (RF)
processor and Bluetooth baseband on one chip to reduce cost and minimize board
space. The BRF6100 is the first implementation of TI's digital RF
architecture and uses TI's standard 0.13 micron, copper Complementary Metal
Oxide Semiconductor (CMOS) manufacturing process to deliver considerable
advantages over existing Bluetooth RF technology. See http://www.ti.com/rd/brf6100 .
By designing a digital RF CMOS architecture, TI has removed many of the
challenges associated with current RF devices. The BRF6100 Bluetooth chip
will consume as little as half the power of current solutions and will occupy
the smallest board area of any product available today. The BRF6100 will
allow mobile device designers to easily integrate Bluetooth functionality -- a
high value-added feature -- for a total system cost below $4 in volume
quantities.
"TI's BRF6100 will play a major role in accelerating the current growth of
Bluetooth in cellular products from smart or high-end phones to mid-range and
low end products, thanks to its lower cost and process scalability," said
Michael Wall of Frost and Sullivan. "TI has once again proven a cost
leadership position with this announcement, following rapidly on the heels of
the Frost and Sullivan Value Leadership Award received in April for its
current solutions."
Digital RF CMOS Technology
Using RF CMOS technology, the digital RF is scalable with each new
manufacturing process, meaning that both the RF and baseband portions can
benefit from reduced die area with each process node shift. Unlike existing
analog RF implementation, digital RF can be re-targeted from process to
process with standard digital design tools, simplifying design and reducing
time to market. A digital RF is also less prone to process change and
variability. These advantages bring considerable cost advantages, enabling
continued price reductions as processes evolve and facilitating faster time to
market for new products.
Moving ahead, handset designers also can leverage the RF CMOS technology
to integrate digital RF into cellular baseband silicon and software solutions.
More Than Single-Chip
With more than 10 years of experience in wireless system integration, as
well as unmatched expertise in real-time signal processing, TI understands
wireless device power and performance requirements. The BRF6100 effectively
optimizes power consumption by offering the lowest transmit and receive
current draw available, on-chip low drop out voltage rates (LDOs) and "deep
sleep" idle modes that uses only 25 micro Amps of current (10 micro Amps for
deep sleep, 15 micro Amps for the LDOs). Featuring both 1.8V and 3.0V
variants, the device supports Bluetooth technology optimized to various 2.5G
and 3G communications standards such as GSM, GPRS, CDMA and UMTS, and allows
multi-point operation of seven connected devices and voice.
"With the BRF6100, TI is radically changing the Bluetooth equation," said
Ari Rauch, general manager, TI Short Distance Wireless. "Digital RF
processing gives unprecedented advantages to customers in terms of power
consumption, cost and board space, and allows their Bluetooth products to
fully benefit from advances in technology."
Boosting Bluetooth in the Cellular Market
Primarily targeted at the cellular phone market, the BRF6100 offers a
Bluetooth baseband, digital RF and antenna switch, all in a 6mm x 6mm package,
and requires only five external components plus decoupling capacitors. This
offers mobile handset designers the ability to add Bluetooth functionality in
a space of less than 90 square millimeters -- an important benefit in the
mobile phone environment where features are fighting for space on the circuit
board and minimal size is essential.
Bluetooth functionality offers the ability to link mobile handsets and
connected networks to a variety of devices such as laptop computers and
personal digital assistants (PDAs) for dial-up networking, email and
synchronization, headsets and headphones for voice and audio, messaging
terminals and cellular gaming devices, as well as many other cellular
applications. According to In-Stat/MDR, the number of Bluetooth-enabled
mobile phones will reach 20 million in 2002, and grow to a minimum of 300
million in 2005.
Availability
The BRF6100 is expected to be available for sampling in September 2002 and
in volume production in the first quarter of 2003.
About Texas Instruments
Texas Instruments Incorporated provides innovative DSP and Analog
technologies to meet our customers' real world signal processing requirements.
In addition to Semiconductor, the company's businesses include Sensors &
Controls, and Educational & Productivity Solutions. TI is headquartered in
Dallas, Texas, and has manufacturing, design or sales operations in more than
25 countries.
Texas Instruments is traded on the New York Stock Exchange under the
symbol TXN. More information is located on the World Wide Web at http://www.ti.com .
Trademarks
Bluetooth(TM) is a trademark of the Bluetooth SIG Inc. USA and licensed to
Texas Instruments.
SOURCE Texas Instruments Incorporated
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Related links:
http://www.ti.com/rd/brf6100
http://www.ti.com
CONTACT:
Kathryn Bengtson, +1-214-480-2046, or
kbengtson@ti.com , or Marie-Helene Raynaud, +33-0-4-93-22-26-44,
or mh-raynaud@ti.com , both of Texas Instruments Incorporated.
Please do not publish these numbers or e-mail addresses.
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